CSULB students seek inexpensive alternatives to buying new textbooks

LONG BEACH — When Cal State Long Beach student Rodolfo Ramos started college last year, he knew he'd have to spend a chunk of money on textbooks.

But he wasn't prepared for the sticker shock at the campus bookstore.

"I couldn't believe how much books cost," said Ramos, adding that he spent about $250 on three books.

This semester, the 19-year-old engineering major said he's looking for more inexpensive alternatives. So far, he has borrowed textbooks from friends and bought used books from other engineering majors.

"I'm looking for the cheapest route possible," he said.

Hit with the rising cost of tuition, many college students are looking for alternatives to purchasing new textbooks, which have long been a costly expense.

They're renting books, buying from online stores such as Amazon.com and downloading digital versions. The digital textbook is an increasingly popular choice for students who have an iPad, Kindle or similar mobile device.

Hit by a tough economy and a major drop in revenue, the CSULB University Bookstore saw sales plummet from $22.8 million in 2008 to $18.7 million in 2011, according to its annual financial report.

"We've definitely been affected by the economy," said Rosa Hernandez-Henderson, director of human resources for the Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., a nonprofit auxiliary that runs the bookstore. "A lot of students are looking for better deals online and getting books wherever they can."

Hernandez-Henderson said Forty-Niner Shops is working on changes to the bookstore that will help generate revenue, make books more affordable and keep business on campus. She said the organization has reserves that can help offset the drop in revenue for now.

As part of the change, the bookstore now offers rental options and digital books available through partners such as Google eBooks.

The store hopes to expand its array of digital books in coming years.

Rentals are a popular choice, she said, adding that about 60 percent of the store's textbooks are now rented. A book that costs $21.95 new, for example, costs $13.32 for a 90-day rental.

Hernandez-Henderson said it's difficult to keep the price of new textbooks down due to high wholesale prices coupled with shipping costs. For a book that sells in the store for about $100, the bookstore will have typically paid about $75, not including shipping costs, she said.

"We're not going to necessarily be the cheapest out there, but we want fair prices," she said.

Established in 1953, Forty-Niner Shops is an auxiliary corporation of the university and one of the largest employers of students on campus. The organization, which has about 600 employees, operates the bookstore, university dining services and all convenience stores on campus. It is one of 90 auxiliary organizations in the 23-campus California State University system.

Bookstore sales make up the largest portion of revenue for Forty-Niner Shops. In 2011, bookstore sales accounted for about 60 percent of total revenue.

Hernandez-Henderson said the hope is that students will understand that every purchase from the campus bookstore is reinvested back into the university through the nonprofit.

But for now, many students say they'll continue to search for the best deals - wherever they can find them.

On Thursday afternoon on campus, 22-year-old biology major Vickie Harbeson was reading a textbook on genetics, which she said she had downloaded onto her Kindle for free.

"I found it online as a free PDF version and I couldn't believe it," she said. "I feel kind of bad, but it's frustrating when textbooks cost more than your rent."

Harbeson said she would consider buying from the University Bookstore to show her support, but times are too tough.

"If I had the money, I would try to help out," she said. "But I can't right now. I'm too poor."